This is just terrible.<\/p>\n
In October 2013, I started writing this short story. It’s been one of the most annoying, slippery pieces of crap I’ve ever had the misfortune to handle. I guess that’s weirdly appropriate, considering its subject matter.<\/p>\n
So. I wrote this story’s beginning back in October, but I abandoned it because I wanted to write this other story that got my attention. I did write and complete that other story–it’s called “Her Mother’s Child”–and it ended up selling to a magazine a while after that, so hey, time well spent. But this story? It just kind of languished.<\/p>\n
Part of the problem was that it involved a character getting injured in an accident and I wasn’t so sure about the medical stuff, and even though I talked to my nurse BFF about it, I didn’t really feel all that confident. And then on top of that, I was having trouble with the escalation in the middle. I knew the story needed to have something more “serious” happen beyond the initial conflict. I just couldn’t figure out what, realistically, the characters would do. Mostly because the entire thing existed to blast holes in romantic comedy storylines, so I had my doubts about whether I should even care whether it did what stories are supposed to do.<\/p>\n
I went back and finished it in mid-June. Or at least, I thought I finished it. Then I got some feedback from people who were torn on its meta aspects, and I decided to tilt it toward MORE meta instead of backing off the meta. It’s that kind of story and Miles is that kind of protagonist.<\/p>\n
Of course, then I couldn’t think of a title.<\/p>\n
I called it “Heels Over Head” for a while, because that makes reference to a ridiculous line in the story. Then I called it “Head Over Heels” for a while, and then I called it “Head Will Remain Firmly Over Heels,” and then I gave up and started calling it “That Story about Fortune Cookie Girl.”<\/p>\n
If I were Miles, I think that’s what I’d call it.<\/p>\n
Considering the meta nature of this jerk of a story, I’m just going to let him have his way.<\/p>\n
He can tell it while he’s drunk as many times as he wants now, and I don’t care. I wash my hands of it.<\/p>\n
Except now I have to try to find this thing a publisher and it’s 12,000 words. :\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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